New research was presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th annual meeting from April 21-28, 2012 in New Orleans. The features below highlight just some of the studies that emerged from the conference, including diagnosing Alzheimer’s earlier, an investigational drug to reduce MS lesions, a new drug formulation benefits Parkinson’s, and determining the threshold for head trauma. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Earlier The Particulars: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) currently can only be confirmed definitively upon autopsies after patients have died or with brain tissue biopsies to detect amyloid plaques, tangles, or both. Florbetaben is an investigational agent that may be beneficial when used as a tracer during PET scans to detect amyloid plaques in patients living with AD. Data Breakdown: In a study, more than 200 patients with and without known dementia who were nearing death and willing to donate their brain to science underwent MRI and florbetaben PET scans. Amyloid plaque levels among those who reached autopsy were compared with scan results. Florbetaben scans were found to have 77% sensitivity and 94% specificity in detecting beta-amyloid. Take Home Pearl: Florbetaben, when used as a PET scan tracer to visualize amyloid plaques in the brain, appears to help diagnose AD in those living with the disease. Investigational Drug May Reduce MS Lesions The Particulars: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have Gd-enhancing brain lesions have limited treatment options. ONO-4641 is an investigational drug that may help reduce lesions in this patient population. Data Breakdown: Researchers randomized patients with relapsing-remitting MS to placebo or 0.05 mg, 0.10 mg, or 0.15 mg of ONO-4641 once daily for 26 weeks in a study. When...